Hub-odometer register drive



RI R. KARICH.

HUB ODOMETER REGISTER DRIVE.

APPLlcMxoN man APRi 19. |921.

Patentedy Dee. 5,1922.

Patented Dec. 5, 1922.

UNITED STATES 1,437,942 PATENT OFFICE.

RUDOLF R. KARICH, OF WOODHAVEN, NEW YORK, A'SSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN TAXIMETER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

HUB-ODOMETER REGISTER DRIVE.

Application filed April 19, 1921. Serial No. 462,536.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, RUDOLF R. KARICH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Woodhaven, Long Island, in the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hub-Odometer Register Drives, ot' which the following is a specification. K

This invention relates to hub odometers, and more particularly to an improvement in the means for operating the counter or register thereof.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a slmple and durable construction that will reliably function under all conditions of use and which may be economically manufactured and easily and quickly assembled.

The invention also` contemplates novel means for insuring the positive transmission of motion froml the moving vehicle wheel to the register or counter by providing ade uate and efficiently distributed we ar sur aces, thereby reducing to a minimum the development of looseness or lost motion which would otherwise result. Owing to .the relatively minute character of the driving connections due to limited space of installation, and the ra idity of operation the arrangement and distribution of parts to reduce wear is important to the life of the instrument. Therefore, it is proposed to provide operating connections which have the wear surfaces distributed in such manner as to avoid lost motion as a result of wear thereby materially adding to the life of the device and insuring its accuracy and reliability.

With the above and other objects in view, which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed.

A practical embodiment of the Vinvention is shown in the accompanying drawings,in which- Figure 1 is an enlarged front elevation of a rotor of a hub odometer drive having the present improvements applied thereto.

igure 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 2 2 of Figure 3.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure l.

Similar reference characters corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings. l By reference tothe accompanying drawings, it will be observed that the present invention includes in its organization, a suitable rotor element R, the same having the threaded portion l for fitting into a conventional odometer casing carried by the wheel hub and rotating therewith in the well known manner. Due to the limited space available within the hub odometer casing for installing the counter device and the operating mechanism therefor, the rotor is preferably recessed as at 2, and the central portion of said recess is provided with an opening 3 for receiving the stem 4 of a stator element. yThis stator element is designated generally as S and includes the base 5 which may be of the relatively fiat and circular formation shown in Figure l, and the stem 4 thereof extending to one side thereof is adapted to connect in the Well known manner with the axle, or stationary axle part, to thereby hold the stator Sin a fixed position while the rotor R rotates with the wheel. This rstator element constitutes a stationary support for the counter or register mechanism indicated by the posts P and dotted circles W representing the register disks.

The said rotor R is provided within the recess 2 with a circular driving cam 6 whose axis is eccentric to the axis of the rotor R. The circular periphery 7 of the cam 6 is adapted and intended to fit within a corresponding opening in an oscillating actuating yoke 9. This yoke preferably has the offset body portion 10 adapted to carry a suitable pawl supporting shaft or pin 1l adapted to have a slidable engagement with the base 5 of the stator as will presently appear. c

In connection with the oscillating actuating yoke 9, it is to be observed that the same may be readily stamped or punched from a flat sheet of metal which is desirable from a manufacturing stand-point, and also bv reason of the fact that the periphery designate of the cam 6 is circular and the opening in the yoke 9 is also circular no special design of punch is necessary for forming this part of the driving connections. Furthermore,by reason of the interftting of the circular cam 6 within the circular opening 8 Figure 1,

oi' the yoke, the bearing surface between the cam and the yoke extends over the entire periphery ot the cam and is thus distributed over a relatively large area thereby reducing wear between these tvvo parts to a minimum.

rthe said pin 11 of the oscillating` actuating 'yoke carries an operating pawl 12 and is guided in its movement in a suitable slot 13 in the base 5 of the stator. Thus, the pin 11 is compelled to reciprocate in the slot While the body of the yoke oscillates under the influence of the rotating cam 6 and the paivl 12 is moved back and orth to perform its Working stroke. That is to say, this reciprocating movement of the pin 11 which carries the pawl 12 is utilized to operate a main ratchet Wheel 111 journaled as at 15 upon the base 5 of the stator and carrying therewith one of' the spur gears 16 and constituting a driving unit Jfor operating the train oit registering Wheels W Whose positions on the aforesaid posts l) are indicated by dotted lines in Figure 1.

To hold the main ogerating'- pawl 12 always in operative engagement with the periphery ot the ratchet Wheel 14, a suitable spring 17 may be used shown in Figure 1, and for the purpose oi? preventing retrogra-de movement or the said ratchet wheel 1L17 the opposite end 18 ot the said spring 17 may be arranged to press the detent end ot a keeper pawl 19 also into engagement with the teeth ot the ratchet Wheel 141A. ylhis keeper pavvl 19 is preferably mounted in any suitable manner as by the screnT 20, concentric with the anis ot the base 5 ot the stator, and therefore it serves no other function than to check or prevent backward movement or thel ratchet Wheel 14- with which it is always engaged.

Vhen the parts are assembled as shown in the drawings, and as above described., the rotation oit the rotor it Will obviously cause -the cam 6 to rotate and thus oscillate the yoke 9. rind, as previously explained, the oscillating movement ot the yoke unc er the influence ot the cam 6 will be turned into reciprocating motion at the end ot the odset portion 10 oi the yoke, due to the pin 11 carried by the said odset being guided in the slot` 13 ot the base. ris the pawl 12 is carried by the pin 11, it is adapted to reciprocate in the direction ot the arrovv shown in and upon moving to the right in that gure, said pavvl will trail over the teeth oi' the ratchet but when moving in the oppoV- site direction, that is to the lett, it Will cause the ratchet Wheel 14 to be rotated through a part of its cycle. Obviously the repetition ot this action will cause the ratchet Wheel 14 to rotate in accordance with the speed at Whichl the vehicle is being driven, and as the ratchet Wheel 12 carries a gear :tor transmitting motion to the first ot the train of register' Wheels W, the latter will be operated in the usual manner to give the desired indications through the WindenT of the hub odometer casing.

Without tui-ther description, it is thought that the features and advantages of the present invention will be readily understood, and it will of course be apparent that changes in the form, proportion and minor details oit construction may be resorted to Without departing from the spirit ot the invention or scope or the appended claims.

l claim: V

1. A driving mechanism for hubA odometer registers including a rotor having a driving cam thereon, a sta-tor having a slot, a register driving gear mounted on the stator, and a yoke having gui-ding engagement in said slot and reciprocated by the cam on the rotor, and a pavvl carried by said yoke tor engaging with the register driving gearl 2. A driving mechanism for hub odometer registers including a rotor, a driving cam on the rotor, a stator having a slot, a register driving gear on the stator and adjacent the slot, a yoke engaging' said cam and recipro cated thereby, a pin carried by the yoke and projecting through said slot and having a guiding engagement therein, and a spring pressed pavvl carried by the pin 'and adapted to engage the driving gear. i q

3. A, driving mechanism tor hub odometer registers including a rotor, a driving cam arranged centrally thereon, a stator spaced from the face of the rotor, and having a slot opening at the edge thereof, a register driving gear on thestator adjacentthe slot, a yoke member arranged in the space between the stator and the rotor as above described, and engaging with said cam, a paWl supporting member carried by the yoke and having a guiding engagement in said slot of the stator, and va `spring pressed paivl on said member and adapted to engage With the driving gear. c i

In' testimony whereof l hereunto atlix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

4RUDOLF R. KARGH.

Witnesses: v

B. C. PALMER, A, BArrniER. 

